Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity
Allan Kardec
Liberty, equality, and fraternity. These
three words constitute, by themselves, the program of an entire social order
that would achieve the most absolute progress for Humanity if the principles
they express could receive full application. Let us examine the obstacles that,
in the current state of society, oppose them, and alongside the evil, let us
seek the remedy.
Fraternity, in the strict sense of the
word, summarizes all the duties of men toward one another. It means: devotion,
selflessness, tolerance, benevolence, and indulgence. It is, par excellence,
evangelical charity and the application of the maxim: “Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.” It is the opposite of selfishness. Fraternity
says: “One for all, and all for one.” Selfishness says: “Every man for
himself.” Since these two qualities are the negation of one another, it is as
impossible for a selfish person to act fraternally toward their fellow beings
as it is for a miser to be generous or for a short individual to match the
height of a tall one. Now, selfishness being the dominant affliction of
society, as long as it reigns supreme, the true reign of fraternity will be
impossible. Everyone will want it for their own benefit but will not practice
it for the benefit of others, or if they do, it will only be after ensuring
they will lose nothing.
Considered from the perspective of its
importance for the realization of social happiness, fraternity comes first: it
is the foundation. Without it, neither equality nor serious freedom could
exist. Equality arises from fraternity, and freedom is the consequence of the
other two.
Indeed, let us imagine a society of
people sufficiently selfless, good, and benevolent to live fraternally, without
any privileges or exceptional rights among them, for otherwise, there would be
no fraternity. To treat someone as a brother is to treat them as an equal; it
is to desire for them what one would desire for oneself. Among a community of
brothers, equality will result from their feelings and way of acting and will
be established by the force of circumstances. But what is the enemy of equality?
Pride, which causes a person to seek superiority and dominance everywhere,
which thrives on privileges and exceptions, may endure social equality but will
never establish it and will dismantle it at the first opportunity. Now, pride
also being one of society’s afflictions, as long as it is not eradicated, it
will hinder true equality.
Liberty, as we said, is the child of
fraternity and equality. We speak of legal liberty, not natural liberty, which
is inherently inalienable for every human being, from the savage to the
civilized. People living as brothers, with equal rights, animated by mutual
benevolence, will practice justice among themselves, will not seek to harm one
another, and will, therefore, have nothing to fear from each other. Liberty
will pose no danger because no one will think of abusing it to the detriment of
others. But how could selfishness, which wants everything for itself, and
pride, which constantly seeks to dominate, embrace liberty, which would
dethrone them? Selfishness and pride are thus enemies of liberty, just as they
are of equality and fraternity.
Liberty presupposes mutual trust. Yet,
trust cannot exist among people driven by the exclusive sentiment of
self-interest. Unable to satisfy themselves except at the expense of others,
they are constantly on guard against one another. Always fearful of losing what
they consider their rights, domination becomes the very condition of their
existence, which is why they will continually set traps for liberty and
constrain it as much as they can.
These three principles are, therefore,
as we said earlier, mutually supportive and provide mutual reinforcement.
Without their union, the social edifice would be incomplete. Fraternity cannot
be practiced in all its purity without the other two, for without equality and
liberty, there is no true fraternity. Liberty without fraternity is an open
rein for all bad passions, which then lack restraint; with fraternity, man
makes no improper use of his liberty: it is order; without fraternity, he uses
liberty to give free rein to all his baseness: it is anarchy, licentiousness.
That is why even the freest nations are forced to impose restrictions on
liberty. Equality without fraternity leads to the same results since equality
demands liberty; under the pretext of equality, the small lower the great to
take their place and, in turn, become tyrants; it is merely a displacement of
despotism.
Does it follow, then, that until men are
imbued with the sentiment of fraternity, they must be kept in servitude? Are
they unfit for institutions based on the principles of equality and liberty?
Such an opinion would be more than erroneous; it would be absurd. No one waits
for a child to complete its growth to teach it to walk. Who, moreover, keeps
them under guardianship? Are they people of lofty and generous ideas, guided by
the love of progress? Are they people who, taking advantage of the submission
of their inferiors, develop their moral sense and gradually elevate them to the
condition of free men? No, they are mostly people jealous of their power, whose
ambition and greed use other men as instruments more intelligent than animals
and who, instead of emancipating them, keep them subjugated and in ignorance
for as long as possible.
But this order of things changes of
itself, through the irresistible power of progress. Reactions are often violent
and all the more terrible because the sentiment of fraternity, imprudently
stifled, fails to interpose its moderating influence; the struggle engages
between those who want to take and those who want to keep; hence a conflict
that sometimes lasts for centuries. Eventually, a fictitious balance is
established; some improvement is made. Yet it is felt that social foundations
are not solid; the ground trembles at every step because the reign of liberty
and equality under the aegis of fraternity has not yet been achieved, as pride
and selfishness continue to thwart the efforts of good men.
All of you who dream of this golden age
for Humanity, work first and foremost on building the foundation of the edifice
before attempting to crown its summit; lay the groundwork with fraternity in
its purest sense. But for this, it is not enough to decree it and inscribe it
on a banner; it must be in the hearts of men, and the hearts of men cannot be
changed by orders. Just as to make a field fruitful, its stones and stumps must
be removed, so too must one work tirelessly to root out the virus of pride and selfishness,
for therein lies the source of all evil, the real obstacle to the reign of
good. Eliminate from laws, institutions, religions, and education every last
vestige of the times of barbarism and privilege, as well as all causes that
nurture and develop these eternal obstacles to true progress, which we, as it
were, imbibe with milk and absorb through every pore in the social atmosphere.
Only then will men understand the duties and benefits of fraternity, and only
then will the complementary principles of equality and liberty establish
themselves, without upheaval or danger.
Is the destruction of pride and
selfishness possible? We answer loudly and decisively: YES. Otherwise, it would
be necessary to declare a stop to Humanity’s progress. That man grows in
intelligence is an indisputable fact; has he reached the ultimate point beyond
which he cannot go? Who would dare uphold such an absurd thesis? Does he
progress in morality? To answer this question, it is enough to compare
different epochs of the same country. Why should he have reached the limit of
moral progress and not that of intellectual progress? His aspiration for a
better order of things is a sign of the possibility of achieving it. It is up
to the men of progress to accelerate this movement through the study and
implementation of the most effective means.
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* Text reproduced from the book Posthumous
Works by Allan Kardec – Part 1 – Questions and Problems – Liberty,
Equality, and Fraternity.
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